How to get your music on Pandora Radio

Submitting music to Pandora Radio is easy, easy, easy.

Over the past decade, Pandora has become one of the go-to destinations for music discovery. The popular radio service allows over 81 million active users to create customized stations based on their favorite genres and artists. Pandora’s recommendation engine (built on extensive human input) then streams a playlist that is altered by user engagement in real-time. In other words, Pandora is pretty smart at picking the songs to start with, but the listener can give feedback (a simple thumbs up or down) and then Pandora gets even smarter.

For independent artists, getting music on Pandora Radio can be a great way to build an audience without spending thousands on radio promotion or advertising. If you sound like Coldplay, whenever someone creates a Pandora station based on the music of Coldplay—bam!—your music could get served up, hopefully earning you a new fan or download sale (since Pandora also displays buy links).

But how do you get your music onto Pandora Radio as an independent artist?

First, I should clarify a few things.

1. Pandora now provides music in three ways:

Pandora Radio — a non-interactive streaming radio experience (meaning you can’t pick exactly what you want to hear, but you can shape the listening experience according to genre, similar artists, your tastes, etc.)

Pandora Premium — a subscription-based interactive (on-demand) streaming service, similar to Spotify or Apple Music

Pandora Plus — an enhanced version of the radio service which allows for some limited on-demand streaming activity

2. The three different Pandora services generate different kinds of royalties for artists.

Not only do each of these services generate different royalties, but those royalties are paid to you differently depending on how your music was added to Pandora’s catalog.

3. You cannot submit your music on your own to Pandora Premium and Plus, only to Pandora Radio.

In order to have your music included in the interactive streaming service Pandora Premium, or to be eligible for the interactive features of Pandora Plus, you must use a licensed distributor (such as CD Baby) to deliver you music to Pandora. Conversely, just because your music is distributed to Pandora Premium does NOT mean it will automatically be available in Pandora Radio, which is why we recommend you still submit your music to Pandora Radio manually.

Submitting music to Pandora Radio

Pandora’s curation team is constantly on the lookout for independent, self-released music by monitoring data-driven charts, blogs, label release schedules, a variety of editorial properties, and the listening activity of Pandora users. Pandora also has an open submission system online that allows artists to submit their albums and singles for consideration. Every submission is listened to and considered carefully by a musicologist that is trained to approve submissions for Pandora.

This online submission process is a valid way for you to get your music considered for inclusion in the Pandora Radio service the, even if you’re using a distributor such as CD Baby to get your music delivered to Pandora Premium.

For artists who are NOT using a distributor:

The online submission is the best way to get your music in front of Pandora.

If accepted, your music will only be available in Pandora’s Radio service and all royalties flow through SoundExchange.

For artists who ARE using a distributor:

Using the online submission form will possibly increase the visibility of your music to Pandora curators, improving its chances of being added to their Radio service.

If accepted, your music will be available in all Pandora services.

The artist’s share of royalties generated via Pandora’s Radio service will be paid through SoundExchange; all other royalties (including the label share of Radio service plays, plus all interactive streaming) will be paid to you through your distributor.

For artists whose music was added to Pandora’s Radio service via the online submission form and THEN delivered to Pandora Premium/Plus by a distributor:

The first situation above is true until the time of delivery, and then the second situation takes over.

Submiting your music to Pandora, step by step

1. Make sure you control the legal rights to your work.

2. Make your music available on iTunes US, Amazon, CD Baby, or Bandcamp. (Hey, if you’re a CD Baby artist, you’ve already got this covered!)

3. Log into your Pandora account. If you don’t have a Pandora account, create one HERE.

5. Provide Pandora with details about your submission, including your band name, release information (single, EP, or album), UPC, link to artist bio, and valid links to a song on iTunes (US), Amazon, CD Baby, or Bandcamp.

6. Verify your submission.

7. Wait.

Yep. Now you’ll have to wait to hear if your album is approved. In the past I’ve had to wait a number of weeks to hear back, but just this morning (in November of 2017) I submitted a new single and it was already approved the same day. If your music is accepted, Pandora will purchase the album from Amazon (digital), iTunes (US), or Bandcamp. If you list the source of your submission as CD Baby and the submission is approved, it is automatically added to the Pandora library. Keep in mind that not every submission is approved, but every submission is listened to and considered in the same way, in the order it is received, by a human being.

How does The Music Genome Project work?

Here’s a little bit about the team of people who’ll be analyzing your music, if you DO get accepted. According to Pandora:

Each song in the Music Genome Project is analyzed using up to 450 distinct musical characteristics by a trained music analyst. These attributes capture not only the musical identity of a song, but also the many significant qualities that are relevant to understanding the musical preferences of listeners. The typical music analyst working on the Music Genome Project has a four-year degree in music theory, composition or performance, has passed through a selective screening process and has completed intensive training in the Music Genome’s rigorous and precise methodology. To qualify for the work, analysts must have a firm grounding in music theory, including familiarity with a wide range of styles and sounds.

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Hopefully all this information is helpful to you in submitting your music to Pandora. If your music is accepted, be sure to register with SoundExchange, an organization that pays digital performance royalties to artists, labels, and performers for the usage of sound recordings online. Heck, even if Pandora doesn’t accept your music, you should still register with SoundExchange; there may be plenty of other internet radio stations that are interested in playing your music.

Also, if you create original music, be sure to register for CD Baby Pro Publishing so you can collect all the mechanical and performance royalties your music is generating worldwide!

Have you submitted your music to Pandora? Did it get accepted or rejected? What was the process like? Let us know in the comments section below.

In this article

... is the Editor of CD Baby's DIY Musician Blog. I write Beatlesque indie-pop songs that've been praised by No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, & others. My poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Review, & more. I live in Maine and like peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, a little too much.

Join the Conversation

muttonkennedy

Yes six weeks (or much more) for acceptance or rejection into their system. Then its six MONTHS (or much more in my case) for your music to actually appear in Pandora! Too bad if you want to promote a new release. Despite all that I love Pandora. Just wish it was quicker.

years back i submitted and got a rather condescending rejection form letter email,with a tone that sounded as if they assumed i was a child making music in my mother’s basement. i seem to remember it took less than 2 weeks to hear back. i’m fine with rejection letters, my style of music is not commercially robust, but i hope they have gotten better with their responses by now.

anonymous

funny, I got a similar almost identical response from this guy via email from a record shop I tried to sell my music to once, years ago. Music snobs are bitter douche bags, they wouldn’t know good music if you threw the cd at their head

I’ve submitted two tracks from my debut album. “Rise” for Pandora’s review. I understand that it will take about 6 weeks for their decision, but I also have many single releases that are not yet on an album but are available as individual releases on iTunes, etc… So can I submit these singles individually for review for Pandora to simultaneously and independently review them also while they review my album submission or must I wait for their decision on my album before submitting more?

“For one thing, our reviewers never have to give a reason for
accepting music, but they always have to explain their decision if they
are rejecting something. This only seems fair to us.”

If they actually do explain their decision, they do not share it with the artist in their rejection email. The email is terse and very unenlightening.

I, for one, am very glad they are picky: it means that the music that gets through is (generally) of higher quality and is more likely to be accepted and enjoyed by the listeners. If one’s music makes it through to get on Pandora, it actually means quite a bit of positive for the music.

Paul

I used Pandora for awhile, until I joined Spotify and tried Itunes radio. The selections run much deeper than Pandora, plus you don’t hear the same song three different ways (acoustic, live, studio) all in the same hour. I’ve discovered so much more new music using other platforms.

The don’t pay artists squat, and they have actively lobbied for paying even less…

Curtis Macdonald

Pandora is VERY Political, if you are an Indie with a style that is over saturated, you will get rejected. They like dealing with “large” labels because of the pay structure. I heard from a source that if you are being distributed by someone other then a major, they just “pass” on your material with a click of the mouse. CDBaby should enter into an agreement with Pandora and Sirius so we “look” better in their eyes.

James Greene

I submitted 2 cover songs at the same time, before seeing your article. After about 3 or 4 weeks, both songs were rejected without them giving a reason. I emailed them to see if they would tell me why the songs were rejected and they responded saying they could not give a specific reason. I’m left a little confused. I’ll submit again, but a different song and only one song this time. Thanks for your article.

I am Golden Boy (Fospassin) an Indie artist.Pandora is a great place for promotion.I have 2 albums on Pandora and many were rejected.Never give up,keep submitting and one day you will be accepted.I really love Pandora.Submit your releases and good luck.

Mike Freeman

My 2012 release “The Vibesman” showed up on Pandora without even submitting it. Although I was happy for it to be there, they had the cover art and bio for some other band showing. Worse than that, the “buy” links for my recording went to the wrong place too! Artists can not edit any of this themselves and it took over a year and half of bugging them every few months for them to correct it. This during the peak of the recordings life on radio. It was pathetic on their part.

I’ve submitted 2 great songs & they gave me no explanations, just 2 automatic responses of rejection.

Colargol

Our band Nightsailors just got rejected, and of course we think it was a wrong decision. But hey – you could check it out here instead (soundcloud.com/nightsailors)

Jeff Gold

I applied a few years ago when I was just starting out and was quickly rejected. Now, a few years later, my CD is doing really well on amazon (#2 in relaxation). So I figured Pandora might be interested now that there is a sales history for me. Nope! They won’t even consider me. Once you are rejected, that is the final word. No second chances. My advice is to wait until you’ve got a bit of a following before you send your music in. Anyone had an experience trying to get Pandora to reconsider a decision?

Stan Wells

I’m still waiting for my rejection. I read on Pandora that if the two songs you submit are rejected you can submit two more from the same CD and try again. I hope that is true because now I know more about which songs are most popular and I would submit those next time.

StevenCravisMusic

Correction, they no longer need to have you ‘send’ your album in upon acceptance. And the album no longer needs to physically exist on Amazon. Two great changes to the new submission process. They actually will buy the music if they accept it. Pandora is one of the most impressive and supportive to musician services in the world. Soundexchange is great too. http://www.pandora.com/steven-cravis

Antoine Doby-Morris

I agree wholeheartedly. Anytime I had a question about my submission i was responded to immediately by a real live person with a direct, honest and conclusive response. And I don’t think people realize the quality they need to achieve in their music to get it up to industry standards. Your stuff has to sound like the stuff on the radio. It needs to be properly mixed. Your music should be able to play right after a top ten hit and sound no different. It should sound just as bright and full. People don’t get that at the fundamental level. And all this sh$t i’m talkin my album better sound beautiful, huh? lol- listen here https://soundcloud.com/antoinelive/sets/anthology or on Pandora- http://www.pandora.com/antoine/anthology-explicit

Its all about the quality and I’ve heard the independent stuff out there and can guarantee that half the people who weren’t accepted didn’t have radio quality music….but thought they did

I submitted a song I’m really proud of. One that was recently placed in a film. The song is of excellent studio quality, and of course I own the rights of, but the email response I got stated that in order to be considered for airplay on Pandora I needed to have hard copies of the tune available through Amazon. Since I use CDBaby, it’s available digitally through Amazon, but I don’t know many Independents that have a cash flow to press hard copies just for the sake of complying with Pandora. Unless I missed it, I don’t see it mentioned in this article. I’m a Pandora user, and have been asked why my music isn’t available on their service.

Monique DeMoulin

StevenCravisMusic

All I can say is it’s worth the wait. Their algorithm gets your accepted music well into the mix for listeners who will appreciate what you (we) have to offer.

Cat

I submitted something in February. It was approved. Just waiting for the music to be up and running. I was just told again (I have been following up every few weeks) that it’s going to be a while before the music will be heard, but I think it will be worth it as you (StevenCravis) say.

A concerned supporter of music

But did you see any $$ from that? New people signing into your email list? More hits on your website or facebook page? Other than people getting to hear you for free, was there any real, measurable benefit??

system that allows artists to submit their albums for consideration. Every submission is listened to and considered carefully by someone that is trained to approve submissions for Pandora. And, since Pandora updated the system early in 2014, the submission process is simple — and digital.

Sue, I’ve experienced that, for a long time now, including currently, Pandora has very high quality customer service and responsiveness. I’ve had my share of albums not approved by Pandora, but I have a ‘next’ attitude, just keep on moving forward with the next submission.

kai$oundz

No they’re buttheads basically you have to be somewhat famous to get on Pandora I already know a tons of people like my musci so I know it doesn’t suck they’re just looking for bigtime artists some more mainstream bullshit oh well

Glad to hear you got approved. I plan to place my music with CDBaby and so I guess I’ll find out if it’s accepted or not. Hope your songs do well…

Jeff

How long after being excepted did the music go live?

foreva young jp

1 month it took me

Trystan Matthews

This article says that Pandora will “always have to explain their decision if they are rejecting something”. Not true. Here is what they wrote to me in my rejection letter: “Thank you for your interest in Pandora. After careful review, your submission was not approved.
To understand more about this decision process, please click here.” But the link just takes you to a stock article on their website titled: Why did my music or comedy not get approved to play on Pandora? They didn’t give any kind explanation for the rejection.

Ken Totushek

Same happenned with me–not impressed with Pandora or their process, so I look elsewhere, and have no reason to use their services!

Whomever wrote this article is wrong, they actually require physical delivery for consideration, they told me I have to get my album into a certain store in my area. I guess knowing people pay off. But hey, as soon as I have a CD in this store, they will accept it.

Gabriel Stephens

Actually, Trystan, seems as if you’re mistaken. I just submitted digitally and got accepted two weeks after my submission. Maybe it varies?

Danny Hauger

Any ideas for what you did well in submission? Congrats!

Mandara

Same happened with me, but the email said they don’t have to explain why it was rejected. Very frustrating because now I don’t know what should be done to improve my submission. Disappointed.

My music is VERY eclectic. I’ve always wondered what a Johnny Schaefer Pandora station would be like because I’m hard to categorize overall (though individual tracks fit specific categories). I have spiritual stuff, upbeat tunes, reggae, jazz, and am a bit of a genre bender. I am well-reviewed. If I submit one tune for one genre and another for a different genre are they open to that?

Jesse Brewster

They’ve accepted older releases of mine, but my last full length album they rejected for some reason having to do with the timing of their IPO. That album by any measure is far superior to any of my older stuff, but once you’ve once and they for whatever reason don’t accept it, game over. You’ll get the message “this title has already been submitted”. iTunes radio wins out in that situation. Is there any other way of lobbying for them to reconsider? Tired of people hearing my stuff from 2006 and thinking that’s all I’ve got out there…

I hear ya Brother we have an album we wrote 2010 that was accepted and since then we had our 3rd album rejected hopefully our 4th will make it!

Art Wasem

Looking at their pay rate. You are much better off submitting to Spotify, beats, Youtube and iTunes. You may get on. You may get played. You WILL NOT make significant earnings. It should go away. I believe it will.

Royal Wade Kimes

What this leaves out is the royalty rate which amounts to — rape of the creator. Bette Midler just reported that she was paid 114.00 for 4 million streams. I too can tell you the game is on. Spotify and Pandora were both named by Bette.

Jenn Vix

I have albums and singles at retail, major music press (reviews in Rolling Stone, CMJ, etc..) and I have recorded and released two singles with the current guitarist of The Cure; formerly of David Bowie. I was rejected last month.

Mark Rushton

I have several albums in Pandora. It is a major hassle to deal with them. Their submissions process is terrible and poorly noted.

The last album of mine that got accepted (I mailed them the CD in August 2013) didn’t appear in their system until February 2014, and that was after several inquires by me why it was taking longer than expected (6 weeks is what they say). And until your accepted album is showing in their system, you cannot submit another release. The new submission will automatically be rejected.

For a company that always dealt in digital streaming, their submissions process up until recently was horribly antiquated. You had to have your title for sale at Amazon via compact disc, either through a distributor or Createspace. So if you released it digitally-only, forget it.

When I looked in February, their list of genres was very incomplete and sloppy. Missing genres included: metal, blues, gospel, ambient, electronic, and bluegrass. Christian was identified as CCM. It had a slapdash feel to it.

On their submission page it said in February “Please provide the name/s of the tracks you are submitting for review and a link to the site where your song can be heard and downloaded.” – I inquired and was led to believe that Pandora would be BUYING accepted tracks from iTunes or Bandcamp. That seems very very weird and unnecessary in this age of Dropbox.

I get about 100,000 plays a year via Pandora. I don’t know if it really leads to any increase in sales or people seeking your music out in other ways. I’ve never gotten that impression. I know I do better from Google search word rankings than via airplay anywhere.

But until Pandora fixes their processes, I’m rather disinclined to ever submit to them again. Sure, they’re big in audience numbers, but it’s a big hassle. And if you get rejected, forget it. No way around that.

Well, here’s my experience with Pandora. A few years back I worked with a group of young girls to record a CD of songs I had written for their school concerts. (Children’s music) It was very well done, mixed and mastered, etc. Just for the heck of it, I submitted it to Pandora for the ‘genre’ of children’s music. About two months later I got an email that it was accepted by Pandora. Ha ha! The girls recorded this while they were in the sixth grade and I guess they are by far the youngest independent artists on Pandora. If you don’t believe me, search on Pandora for The Jellybeans (Children’s). Now, as the girls matured and continued to work we recorded two more CDs, one each while they were in grades 7 and 8, and each one better than the last. Pandora rejected them both and no, I could never get an explanation as to why. The Jellybeans received great reviews for their work. For their last CD (8th grade) they received two ‘five stars’ reviews with high praise for both the group and the music. As part of my Disc Makers release I got a complimentary review from the A & R company TAXI for one of the tracks. Not only did the girls get a great review, but I received a phone call from someone at TAXI (at the request of the company president, I was told) asking me to sign up with the group at a large discount in their yearly membership. But still, not good enough for Pandora. What they need to do is stop ‘analyzing’ the music and just listen to it and enjoy it based on the sound. That’s what humans do. I don’t care, though. For what Pandora pays now per spin, (8/10 of a cent, I believe) and they are trying to reduce that, it’s not a big deal. But, I don’t think that Pandora is a friend to independent artists at all. Maybe they were once in their start up, but not now.

jonnyninja

I wonder if the children’ music got accepted because it sounded mixed and mastered. It would make sense. You gotta understand that having good music is different from having well recorded/produced music. In a perfect world, you want both. But make no mistake, there’s lots of crappy music out there that gets airtime because it was recorded well.

The girls’ solo projects may have been great performances, but if they weren’t produced professionally and you’re comparing them to the childrens’ record that was, you’re comparing apples and oranges. When it comes to someone judging the “playability” of a recorded song on a revenue-generating public domain airwave (Pandora in this case), production quality often matters more than song/performance quality. Keep in mind, too, that these days the song/performance aspect can be improved upon when something is fully “produced”, which gives such recordings that much more of an edge.

In short, the minimum standard for overall production quality is high, and it often overshadows the spirit of a performance, for better or worse. That’s not my opinion, that’s just something people who make these decisions look at.

Pat443

My wife is a retro-style jazz singer (hardly an over-saturated genre), and I submitted her first album to them. I followed all their rules. That CD was recorded in the best studio in town with some of the greatest musicians in the state. It got rave reviews (AllAboutJazz.com said it was “among the year’s most consistently engaging jazz releases”) and international radio play and made the Jazz Week top radio airplay chart. Pandora sent back a curt rejection with no explanation. Now, she has a new one out that’s getting an even better reception, but I’m hesitant even to submit it after their buttheaded response to the first one. Besides, I’d have to open a new Pandora account, since I closed mine. If they reject her, then I reject them.

judsonhurd

Just got accepted during the end of Feb. I am really excited about it and still waiting for it to appear live on Pandora. Apparently from what I hear it takes up to six months to get your music on there. I was rejected the first time but accepted the second time. I reccommend building up your following, updating your social media sites and sync them, and also in the detail section of your submission it’s good to put a review of your album. That’s what I did differently with this submission and it worked better. I am looking forward to some extra income flow from Sound Exchange.

Simple Nomad

That’s interesting. Was it the same music that was rejected and then accepted? The rejection I got pointed to that link which included the statement “We do not reconsider submissions once an initial decision has been made.”

Peter

I submitted selections from my two solo CD’s and that were outright rejected…no reason given. Pandora currently has our 1969 classic psych album, “GANDALF”, available on their playlist, which I assume they license from Capitol Records. Capitol refuses to acknowledge me as artist… I get nothing from it. When I submitted my solo stuff I called this to their attention, but evidently they weren’t impressed. That’s OK, I’ve been rejected by better people than Pandora 🙂

Really do not understand their decission making. We submitted an EP by one of our artists (Rachael-Nadine) and after a long wait we received the rejection letter — which also stated that they would not re-consider. Why it was rejected we do not know as the artist (and EP) has been sitting at either the No.1 or No. 2 spot on the Australian Reverbnation’s Alternate/Punk chart for well over three months, the artist performs constantly, has a number of video clips (self done), is sellin/streaming through numerous operators (eg iTunes, CdBaby, Amazon, Bandcamp) etc, etc. Really we have no idea what you have to be to be accepted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David, it sounds like to me that someone had a bad hair day. In the military if you give some people an extra stripe on their shoulders they all of a sudden let that get to their head. Pandora might have a few prideful novices fresh out of music theory school. Maybe they were jealous or are on a power trip. I think they should have to give your songs to a higher up, if it is to be rejected. That way at least more then one person agrees that it doesn’t make the cut. Sounds like Pandora needs to revamp it’s process for Xcepting CD’s, and yes…I misspelled that word to get the goat of those who like to throw stones. We are artists here….not scholars!

I submitted my piano album, “Piano Pearls”, to PANDORA back in October 2013, it got accepted in two weeks, & aired in January 2014. Being an instrumental album, I think the submission process was a lot easier. Check it out!

Daniel Jay Paul

Pandora is another of the modern “gatekeepers”. Their mindset is that their trained “musicologist” know more what constitutes good music than those people who are making it. They reject artists when the artist could really use the help and exposure the most. I think artists should ban together and reject Pandora when they make their breakthroughs in other ways and then suddenly Pandora thinks their music is good enough to make their playlist, even though it is the same music it they once rejected.

My experience went very well, They told me To get on Pandora, I had to have a Physical cd for sale on amazon, thanks to cd baby that was already taken care of, after that they asked me to send in the physical album for full review, After 6 weeks I was excepted, I now have 2 full albums on Pandora and iam gearing up for the 3rd one which will be released this July!, Check me out under “Nate Evans”. I believe another reason I was excepted was because my physical album was put together very well with a 16 page booklet, color gloss finish and more, of course the music sounded great but I think when someone gets a product that they can see has been invested in it makes a big difference!

thanks kool bro… you have to have a physical copy even if yu are goin through cd baby digital release?!

JacquesBandit

Not anymore. A digital copy on bandcamp will suffice now. I was accepted in this manner. Jacques Bandit. Live soon, still waiting for it to hit.

Thommy Sides

I don’t think so…

Kamiel McCoy

Accepted not excepted

wayrichwinner the winners

Its cool alot of people do music but if your music dosent stand out im sorry, thats the truth. You have to know your music cant and will not be denied

Nancy Stafford

I submitted about 2 months ago and go rejected a very rude one. that they do not take indies. that are not known. i wrote to them and told them if i did become famous i never would submit to them again.

Nancy Stafford

I also found out that they were taken to court by BMI for the money they are paying the musicians play on pandora. Pandora only pays 1.50 per 1000 spins. to artist. to me that is not very much. some internet pay more if you do your research .

Dan ferguson

The idea that you have to sound like Coldplay or whoever is played in your particular genre doesn’t give any credence to originality. I have no reason to believe they actually listen to the submissions they get.

Chet Cline

Clearly, Pandora is not out to help out the little guys. There’s nothing in it for them. They are not paying any musicologists to listen to your submission but they are paying lawyers & lobbyists craploads of money to keep royalty rates well below minimum wage. The only way to get your music on Pandora is to sign a record deal and have the label guys deal with it. And you thought the Internet was going to revolutionize the music biz…

BUT… the thing people always forget about Pandora is that it’s a one-to-one play. One song served up for one listener. That $114 is probably WAY more than she would’ve made reaching the same amount of listeners via terrestrial radio. Say she had a song played 10 times in a giant market like LA; maybe that’d be about a 4 million person reach. But it’s only 10 plays. For which she’d make… what? 7-20 cents per play? Pandora works out to be the better deal, especially when you factor in both publishing royalties AND the digital performance royalties collected by SoundExchange.

When you consider that a single play on Pandora reaches one listener, whereas a single play on other internet or terrestrial radio stations could possibly reach 1000, or 100,000, or even 1,000,000 listeners… the payout rates seem quite fair, and oftentimes earn the songwriter MORE money through Pandora if you factor in overall reach.

My band’s last album was nicely rejected by Metalblade records as “It’s good but not what we’re looking for at this time.” I just chocked it up to “At least they were nice enough to take the four seconds to send me the email instead of sittig there wondering.”
Our last album has received glorious reviews (and a bad one from some jackass who said in his own review that he didn’t even listen to it). Meanwhile there are bands on Pandora that just plain suck but are there because for some reason they are famous So I can easily handle a robo-reject letter because I know the reason isn’t our music, but because we’re not on the cover of Metal Hammer and headlining metalfest all over the country. At least I would know for sure and stop wondering.
But then again maybe I luck out and score that 1 reviewer who’s bored with the masses of cookie-cutter metalcore bands all trying to be Lamb Of God and somethign in one riff, one solo or the vocal style that for some sick reason turns him on. Then we’re in and looking larger than life, and I get the satisfaction that an exucutive at Metalblade Records might be listening to Pandora to pump up King Diamon’s plays or somethign and my band comes on. “Hey, we rejected these guys. Now they are on Pandora?”
As long as it doesn’t cost me anything to submit, I’ll do it.

Karl Stoll

Has Pandora changed their submission guidelines? Even though my CD is distributed through cd baby to Amazon, iTunes and other services. I had to actually become an Amazon vendor to make my submission to Pandora a couple of years ago. And after all that, Pandora rejected my submission anyway.

well what this post is saying, is that some self proclaimed Genius who Learned music theory, but never wrote a song in his or her life, will be the wall in the progression of more independent artist. Like independent artist, who are making some fresh, really raw music, don’t put up with enough crap, Like Jumping through Hoops for Contests, internet radio assholes and any other carney barker out there who feels like he’s the new Dick Clark…Cdbaby ought to be Boycott for even misleading their subscribers, and for caring more for Pandora than their independent artist, who support them financially, with Blind faith that they will look out for their benefit and actually pay them for their sales and who knows about any of that as the accounting process is piss poor…the problem is they prey on Independent artist who want to be famous and they Bilk you out of hard earned dollars like a Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme…Bad enough the music Biz has a monopoly on the radio airwaves, which is unconstitutional I might add, but then they want to scrutinize artist in this manner, then they should be payed for their plays…if College athletes can be paid than why not you…I’d rather do what Zappa did, Don’t prostitute for fame and Make MY MUSIC and sell it to MY FANS!!!

While I understand the frustration as an Indie songwriter, I also have a degree in Music and that was not just learning “music theory,” It encompassed so much more, including pop music, the history of blues, jazz, to pop; music cultures, composition, etc. etc. So as a Musician, I hope you would change your mind about the Musicologists. As it is, do you know how hard it is to book a full time JOB with a music degree? I have one and I work in Insurance….good luck with your endeavors!

Vicki Dillon

Maybe you should become an indie music promoter. With having your background and schooling in music, you could start a facebook page . You should be able to charge people who want to promote their music and having an insurance background, you know how to deal with people. Give it a try, you know the instructions and outs of good music. Heck, I would use your services when I got ready to promote my music.

It’s Pure malarkey, you can easily say that Bob Dylan or Lou Reed or Warren
Zevon or Leon Russel or even Neil Young who had Zero singing experience
or Stevie Ray Vaughn who could not read music and Neither could Hendrix
for that matter, would have ever passed through some idiot with a music
theory Backgrouund, many Music screeners knocked these artist Down at
some point in their early careers, did you know that??? and what would
musical influence be without one of those artist in your past??? Yes
there are some folks who are not very Good and there are sites for them,
But I am never submitting to some frustrated self proclaimed Genius,
who thinks their ear is the be all end all for the listening public!!! Keep making music for YOUR fans and don’t Give a Damn what some idiot thinks…

brian botkiller

I’ve been shut down by Pandora twice, both times for music that they said they had “too much of that style” on Pandora. I’m not nuts about how Pandora works, I don’t think they help indie artists get found, and I think they only care about what they think is cool, but if you can get on there, well, might as well. I’ve just submitted again, we’ll see what happens this time.

Laaj

After reading the comments, it appears that pandora is an ego driven radio station that gets a kick out of denying artists. I’ve heard music that was not great music on pandora, so it’s hard to know or understand their standards. There are so many radio stations now that are better than pandora. If enough people would submit their concerns and stop listening, I’m sure they would make changes.

Sorry to hear that Nancy…rejections are never easy. Before I submitted, I read many blogs/articles about bands/artists being rejected, so I honestly didn’t think I would have a chance & was surprised they contacted me so fast about being accepted. The only issue now is trying to get my “bio” on Pandora, which hasn’t been a successful/easy process.

I submitted my physical CD & Bio to AMG back in January & still haven’t heard anything. It mentioned it may take several months, but I wasn’t sure if I should re-submit it again or keep waiting. How long has it taken for others who’ve done this process?

I know they’ve got my data in their system, but it was years back, so I can’t recall how long it took. 3 months doesn’t seem excessive to me. But you could always write a polite email to inquire if they need anything else from you.

Thanks Chris! I think I will email them & see where it goes. If I don’t hear from them I’ll just re-submit my CD & information in the mail. I figure it couldn’t hurt. 🙂

Burl Dunn

I submitted my CD Baby release “Texas Dance Songs” and was accepted. It took at least 6 weeks, but my second submission “Texas Socialist Infiltration Dance Songs” took only 2 weeks. I listened a lot while the station was building and it was thrilling! To hear Doc Watson and Johnny Cash, frankly, brought tears to my eyes. I have 18 songs ready now from Pete Seeger’s songbook “American Favorite Ballads” (all public domain selections) and I think I’ll put them out through CD Baby as a digital-only release. As soon as I get that done I’ll try the new submission process with Pandora. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.

Is there any way for a British band to submit music to Pandora? UK listener accounts have been blocked for many years now.

Ash St John

My Million Miles Away EP was accepted by Pandora. I am happy about the result. I have submitted 2 other releases before and been rejected. One of my artist friends who has excellent sounding music was rejected. It seems that maybe catching people in the right mood might alter the outcome. One thing seems true, the music music sonically “sound” professional. Too notch mixing and mastering is a must.

But one thing to consider is those 5 million streams were one-to-one plays. So, in total, she reached 5 million people (for which she earned $144). Had her songs been played a dozen times on a popular LA or NYC radio station, she might’ve reached the same amount of people in total — BUT, she wouldn’t have earned as much as she was paid from Pandora.

Yeah Chris,
But If I reach 5 million people one to one I better be getting more than $144.00. So, the mind set that says streaming is practically giving your music away is all but true. Although, on my Spotify platform which has no where near 5 million streams the income stream is out pacing the Bette Midler #s by far.

anyony

I don’t think you should be worrying about this as an independent artist.. first and foremost is building a fan base. Pandora is great exposure for anyone looking to expand. Don’t write off good exposure because you’re not getting enough money. If you’re that hard headed you’ll never get the money in the long run because you won’t have the fans. Come on.

I’m actually not sure of the full scope of Music Reports’ services, but I do know that SoundExchange and Harry Fox are concerned with two different kinds of royalties. Harry Fox works in the mechanical royalties realm, on behalf of songwriters and publishers. SoundExchange is not tasked with collecting publishing royalties. They collect and distribute a new kind of performance royalty (separate from the publishing royalty that is also called a performance royalty) on behalf of artists, session players, and labels.

I submitted an EP in July (4+ months ago), still haven’t heard back yet, but I checked and it said it’s still in review. In the meantime, we recorded a single and I figured why not submit it too? Well the single got rejected in less than 2 weeks but I am still waiting to hear about the EP. Not sure if that means anything, but it makes me suspect that maybe they review singles quicker because it’s only one song to listen to versus many? Food for thought I guess. Good luck to everyone submitting.

Matt Beat

For everyone who has been complaining about Pandora on here, you are absolutely right- please get on Jango instead. They are superior.

Bob Evola

Don’t you have to pay Jango money to get your music aired on the station? Based on my interaction with them, you buy play credits on Radio Airplay and listeners can then hear your music on Jango. Am I missing some other method? Thanks

A concerned supporter of music

But did you ever get paid?

Paul Thomas

I submitted 2 songs via the new online application, from one of my albums, on 2/19/14. I got a rejection notice on 3/8/14. I then submitted a new single, on 3/8/14. Got a rejection notice today, on 4/24/14. The rejection notice in both cases was this:

Why did my music or comedy not get approved to play on Pandora?

We have a deep respect for artists and their work, and we take the
responsibility of curating Pandora’s collection very seriously to give
our listeners music and comedy that enhances their personalized
listening experience.

This decision has been made purely on the basis of what is best for
Pandora’s collection. We curate music that works for personalized radio
listening, and that we expect will connect with an audience.

Pandora takes this responsibility very seriously, and we aspire to be as
consistent and accurate as we can when reviewing submissions. Each
submission is reviewed carefully by one of our curators, independent
from bias. We proudly invest many hours every week reviewing each
submission and we are committed to doing this even with our ever-growing
volume. We do not reconsider submissions once an initial decision has
been made. That said, suggestions from listeners and ongoing external
research help guide future music and comedy inclusions.

Chris is pointing out that when a song plays on Pandora, usually only one person hears it. When a song plays on the radio thousands or millions of people hear it. So a few plays on the radio could arguably reach the same number of ears as a million plays on Pandora.

The discrepancies between radio and streaming royalties are not that drastically different when you think of them in terms of “ears” reached.

Nishi Hundan

Pandora is garbage. Their whole Music Genome Project with their so call “expert” analysts is complete BS. They are just another gatekeeper with human beings deciding what they like or don’t like. Steve Jobs was the best friend the indie artist ever had. He took everything from CD Baby and put it all in iTunes and let the customers decide what is good and what is bad. Pandora could easily take everything and just make a channel “Independent Artists.” If no one listens to the channel, fine.

I got accepted after 1 rejection and two months of waiting to be approved for the second submission and i’m a totally independent artist. Juts waiting until my music goes live. Best of luck. Follow me on Twitter @KingLilOne_ and check out my website KingLilOne.com

What I was hoping to learn here is if there is a benefit to waiting; if they have unwritten rules (or written but not shown to the public) about how popular you have to be to be seriously considered. If you have a solid product, but are just getting off the ground—Facebook fans in the single digits, little-to-no sales, etc.—are you blowing your one chance to get considered for Pandora? How popular should your band be before you consider submitting?

anyony

if you have facebook fans in the single digits you have more work to do than just pandora!

Do I have to register with SoundExchange if my music is accepted to Pandora? Because I’m currently going through an intense legal name change, as in the courts are making it a problem and it shouldn’t be. While before I was impatient, now I could sure as hell use that six weeks to try and get it changed in time. I had to get a new ID with the wrong name on it because they need a photo ID to change your name. Sad thing is I waited 6 weeks alone for the shitty ID to come in the mail. Even though it’s horrid, I usually don’t hate the government on a personal level. But I digress. I could register with SoundExchange if they didn’t require SSN or tax ID. I hate that they want to tax you, or are forced to.

I have seen where some bands will submit a CD only to get a reply that says, This music doesn’t fit into any genre, Then only to submit another of that same band a CD that does get approved. Why do they accept one and not approve another from the same genre???

I attended the Music Genome Project in Sydney Australia where I got my chance to ask Tim Westergren why many Independent Artists such as myself weren’t on Pandora yet and had been waiting for months clearly stating that I was an artist distributing through cdbaby.

I brought to Tim’s attention also Pandora’s supposed support for Independent Artists particularly artists distributing through cdbaby (the frustration, rejection etc) and all I could visualize when using Pandora were mainly major label artists

Well after the seminar, I had a 5 -10 mins Conversation with Tim and exchanged email details and true to his word within days my music was approved and within a month or 2 was live on Pandora.

Click my website news page to see a photo of myself, my wife and Tim Westergren (Co-founder of Pandora) with news of what transpired briefly

One would hope that it doesn’t cause too much of a blockage in the MGP’s ingestion process and song analysis. But… it probably will, right? I mean, if they’re suddenly giving a kind of preferential entryway to Merlin clients, it might cause a traffic jam for other applicants. Who know, maybe they’ll hire more musicologists! I guess time will tell.

I was stone-walled fairly recently…. granted, I am a 3rd-tier artist (if that), but it still doesn’t make sense to me to have 1/10th the size catalog as your competitors? I would imagine that people looking for new music would want the variety…

Lame

Agreed. I submitted an album in Feb which was then given the “ok” in April, but Im STILL waiting for it to be posted and it’s almost Oct. Yes, it is worth it for the exposure, but after the snarkey response I received from them when I followed up I no longer listen to pandora.

Bottom line: if you submit an album it can easily be a year before it receives any airplay.

Lame

Agreed. I submitted an album in Feb which was then given the “ok” in April, but Im STILL waiting for it to be posted and it’s almost Oct. Yes, it is worth it for the exposure, but after the snarkey response I received from them when I followed up I no longer listen to pandora.

Bottom line: if you submit an album it can easily be a year before it receives any airplay.

Apparently, all the people that like the music on Reverbnation have no idea which music is good music. We need trained gatekeepers to ensure we only like music some college bean-head would like.

Richard McCargar

Apparently, all the people that like the music on Reverbnation have no idea which music is good music. We need trained gatekeepers to ensure we only like music some college bean-head would like.

Kendra

Thanks for the article Chris. I don’t see Pandora coming to my country anytime soon. However, there are plenty of workarounds available to access it here in my country. Personally, I use UnoTelly for more than a year and I can access Pandora radio like I am in USA.

i think the question was – is this an effective vehicle for promotions? i doubt the insults answered the question

HypersonicTransport

Just had a song from an album accepted at Pandora (it only took two days). Quick question: does the acceptance mean that only the song I submitted is going onto Pandora, or does the acceptance apply to the whole album? Pandora’s reply did not really make that clear. Thanks!

Edit: Whoops, sorry about the large picture below–uploaded the wrong image, and cannot seem to remove it now.

Submitted a single in July 2014 and got approved. Not sure how long it takes to go live though, read in the comments maybe 6 months? Lol. I’ve read the genome project can take some serious time. Well its December now, hope its live in January. And possibly, my following submissions will be expedited.

Starr Jamezz

I too submitted “151” which is a song that I have on iTunes as well as Cd baby… I had the song played on v-103 which a radio one public radio station. Pandora rejected the song without explanation. I wasn’t cool with the rejection because how can a “panel” decide strictly from hearing what the world should be listening to. Anyway, truthfully since then I’ve had a couple of connections that say “I have the hook up with Pandora for a low fee…” So once again we’ve ran into payola people. Artist will never be paid what they are worth- it is impossible in a world full of greed!

Deann Merchant

Wow, after reading so many “turn offs”, I guess I won’t put to much “weight” into being given a chance!! Even though the track is a full band with major players, if their gonna “nit pick” quality & “sell ability” and not let the listeners have a crack, well, I think that’s a bit “counter productive”!!
I went ahead anyway & will wait to see!! Again, it’s a shot in the dark for us “indie” artists but, it certainly won’t deter me from promoting my work!! Heck, it was good enough for me to open for John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown band this past summer so, it’s not like I’m home twiddling my fingers ya know?
Good luck to all of us who continue to strive to be heard!! We may not all, “hit it big” but, personally, there’s nothing better then performing & seeing peeps mouth the words of your song!! For me, that’s REAL & very gratifying!!! Peeps get disillusioned with all the “hype”!! They think their gonna make money being on radio when in actuality, you probably won’t! It takes a phenomenal amounts of spins to gain any credit so your best bet if your at all serious about your craft, get out there & be heard!! If you can get out as an opener, you stand a better chance of making some real money!! And every time you make money on stage, your music makes money with your PRO (Publishing Rights Organization)!! If your music is not yet in one of the 3 major PRO’s, you need to join!! I belong to Sesac. Also, make sure to join “Soundexchange” for your digital performance royalties!! If your ever afforded the opportunity to be played on Pandora, your entitled!

Deann Merchant

Wow, after reading so many “turn offs”, I guess I won’t put to much “weight” into being given a chance!! Even though the track is a full band with major players, if their gonna “nit pick” quality & “sell ability” and not let the listeners have a crack, well, I think that’s a bit “counter productive”!!
I went ahead anyway & will wait to see!! Again, it’s a shot in the dark for us “indie” artists but, it certainly won’t deter me from promoting my work!! Heck, it was good enough for me to open for John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown band this past summer so, it’s not like I’m home twiddling my fingers ya know?
Good luck to all of us who continue to strive to be heard!! We may not all, “hit it big” but, personally, there’s nothing better then performing & seeing peeps mouth the words of your song!! For me, that’s REAL & very gratifying!!! Peeps get disillusioned with all the “hype”!! They think their gonna make money being on radio when in actuality, you probably won’t! It takes a phenomenal amounts of spins to gain any credit so your best bet if your at all serious about your craft, get out there & be heard!! If you can get out as an opener, you stand a better chance of making some real money!! And every time you make money on stage, your music makes money with your PRO (Publishing Rights Organization)!! If your music is not yet in one of the 3 major PRO’s, you need to join!! I belong to Sesac. Also, make sure to join “Soundexchange” for your digital performance royalties!! If your ever afforded the opportunity to be played on Pandora, your entitled!

I was accepted for indie hip hop my album Made in Harlem made the cut. I previously submitted a single and was rejected. Very excited and awaiting my station to be created after pandora music genome puts my music in the system. Stable

ChesneyDigital .

Pandora is a great way to discover new music. But they always seem to inevitably steer you towards the most generically mainstream stuff, even if it’s in direct defiance to the genre you are seeking. Surf is an odd exception, though it’s only because any band even loosely associated with “surf” always results in the same playlist that has been recycled for 8+ years. It’s like if you’re not into 80’s pop, rap, country or any other stereotyped brainless shit, go sit in a corner where you’ll be out of the way for the mass zombie exodus under the direction of some corporate marketing exec into the land of controlled sales. I just wish there was a streaming service out there catering to an independent crowd. Why is perfect mixing so goddamn important? I like a shitty sound, it’s creative, raw, INTERESTING. Some of the WORST bands I’ve ever heard have been engineered by alleged professionals.

a lot of the critics are right, they don’t accept just everybody nor do they have to give you a clear reason… all i can assume is every single release i have sent to Pandora has been rejected because they didn’t approve of my genre (there is a lack of aggrotech/industrial artists on their database, even the top sellers are missing)… granted some people may not have high opinions of my genre, I don’t see why i have to put up with it from their “curators”… I mean this reminds me of the old days of having to deal with record label executives not accepting music from individuals just because they didn’t like it themselves…

No they actually didn’t. I read something on their website that says they will PURCHASE your music.. interesting!

Al Loya

I submitted my single REDEMPTION to Pandora via the website on 2-25-2015 got an email on 3-13-2015 that read as following “We are excited to let you know that your submission for “REDEMPTION” has been approved. We’ll reach out to you again when it has been added to the Music Genome Project and begins playing on Pandora.” I still haven’t heard back that it’s on yet. This was the first time I’ve submitted any material.

I submitted and just got approved. I’m thankful for the analyst team who took time to listen and am grateful to have this opportunity to share with more listeners soon.

I’ve submitted my music to bunch of radio stations and bloggers. I haven’t received a single response except Pandora. It’s like a lottery. I just keep spreading seeds to share music. If somebody picks it up, that’s lucky. If not, somebody else will at another time. That way I don’t feel stressed when I’m not selected… That’s my attitude:)

Lisa Amaro

A few years ago when I tried to submit, I was told you had to have a physical item in order to even be considered. Is this still true?

Guys don’t feel bad if you got rejected by Pandora.
My name is John Kano ,I remix the Shakira world cup anthem,Shania Twain Still the one, Backstreet boys and many more. I had hit club records all over the world as Havana Funk.
As a songwriter 3 number ones on radio and 10 hits and the list goes on.
I recorded 2 faith based albums “Love is Forever” and “Faith for Today” the best of my works, and Pandora rejected them both lol.. Do I now feel that my music isn’t good because Pandora rejected them NO !!!! I have already proved my self, and continue to prove my self
because both my albums are selling, IF YOU BELIEVE in your music don’t get discouraged .Move on and keep bring your music to your fans, Remember the staff at Pandora are just people and they could be wrong.
Sure hope what I wrote here can help someone.
God Bless !!!
John

Most radio stations are owned by some corporation therefore repetitive playlist but they have sown the seeds of their own destruction. I think Pandora would be no different, and there unlikely to play something that has poor production or vocals, expect to be rejected.

Things That Occur In Nature

I’m shocked at the current state of the Pandora curation. Their business model has obviously changed and they are no longer indie artist friendly. Their loss. They are missing out on the direction of the current music industry. No worries, though. There are MANY really good outlets for the independent musician/band. Pandora is no longer one of those. (they used to be)

Thomas

Looks like Pandora isn’t able to operate in the UK anymore (I wonder why?). Alternatives? Problem is there are SO many sites, it’s information overload. You want to either get on them all or get on the most popular ones.

Just recorded a live version of my Original Song “Jump And Soar” on Kauai at the oldest home on the island. Thanks for listening! “What do you live for? What would you die for? When will you find more?”

It took me about 4 mos. Start to finish on getting my hate it or love it album approved and going live. I submitted a single first. They denied it. I submitted my album, with the single on it, they accepted it…I submitted one of my artists singles, they rejected it, my second album had been in submission for a week straight now… >>> ForevaYoungJ.P station <<< on pandora..be patient,work hard, never give up.

Dick Bay

I submitted my band’s CD (Swampy Tonkin’ by Miracle Mule) at the beginning of August, using the title track as the sample track. It was approved 5 days later and then this week (2.5 months later) we got word that it was now being played on Pandora. But it appears that only the title track is being played, not the rest of the CD. Yesterday I tried resubmitting the CD with a different sample track but the webform told me that the release was already being played on Pandora & wouldn’t accept my submission. Not sure what I can do at this point to get the other 12 songs from the CD reviewed & played.

We are official Pandora rejects as of this AM. .And it only took 3 days to get an answer. hahaha What did they run screaming when they cued up our song? But I also wrote fiction for years and had one story turned down 12 times and the 13th magazine I submitted it to bought it. Also an author did an experiment and sent a very famous short story to a mag to see what would happen and it even got rejected. So you can’t let it bother you. Beauty is in the eye or ear in this case of the beholder. I only got interested when I saw a car ad saying the vehicle included Pandora. For some reason I already had a gut feeling they’d reject us.
However the good news is they did ask us to submit more for consideration

I think it’s also good to remember that they curate based on genre, so if they’re flooded with jazz, they’re probably gonna be way more picky than they might otherwise be. So it might not have anything to do with the music.

I think it’s also good to remember that they curate based on genre, so if they’re flooded with jazz, they’re probably gonna be way more picky than they might otherwise be. So it might not have anything to do with the music.

I just received an email that my band’s debut album was approved to be placed on Pandora. Took about two weeks after submission digitally.

We’re called The Pretty Unknown (theprettyunknown.com) and we describe our music as “It’s like if Taylor Swift was the surrogate mother for Michael Buble and Sarah McLachlan’s love child. Then they raised the child listening The Beach Boys and The Beatles. That’s a technical critique.”

All that to say, I’ll be interested were Pandora places us, based on their algorithm. I guess there’s a bit of a wait from this point until we’re actually in production, so I’ll try to check back. All in all, I feel pretty lucky. I’ve had friends whose early stuff was approved but not their later stuff, and friends who haven’t made it at all. Not sure their approval guidelines but I’ll learn as much as I can and report back.

Tony Minton

I invite all of you INDIE ROCK Artists to join TheGigPenROCKS.com It’s FREE and a TRUE ROCK Network community Exclusive to Independent Rock Artists…We are in a PRE launch period so sign up..bring your FANS and bands you normally gig with ….get the gigs and tours you want by being CONNECTED with bands all over the globe…we WILL have HD Radio and affiliate stations for Interviews and FREE radio play! Also we will have Music Industry Professionals that are eager to meet your band and take you to the next stage. At TheGigPenROCKS you will NEVER compete against a Major labeled band but instead will be connected with Indie Rock bands all over the globe..So help us grow and join today .. 5- FREE4LIFE memberships: Fans, Bands, Band Members,Singer-Songwriters and Music Industry Professionals..It’s your choice , but really all of you in the Indie scene need each other…We have forums and map locators by genre and Profiles for you to create your OWN Network of Serious minded musicians that just wanna play LIVE MUSIC… thanks for reading
Tony Minton
Owner-TheGigPenROCKS

Pandora accepted my band’s first three albums and play them regularly. Our fourth, and best (IMHO), which doesn’t sound much different from the first three in terms of style was rejected with virtually no explanation. Can you re-submit?

I’m in every other digital outlet, but I have been rejected 9 times! Wish I knew why so I could revise.

Cody Roberts

My music was approved, but our station absolutely sucks. My fans are Ween, Floyd and Paul Simon fans…I won’t put my fans through the punishment of listening to our station, and I’ll never share my Pandora station with anyone! Here is a free d/l of the folk album if you are interested in seeing what Pandora actually accepts… https://soundcloud.com/clayborne-fox/sets/extremely-nice-folk

Pandora’s license for playing songs is basically the same as terrestrial radio, meaning they can play anything that has been made commercially available. It sounds like you’d need to take up the conversation with the band about what they should pay you for your contribution.

Hello world, my EP “Waves” was approved by Pandora and it’s now on the site. I was very surprised to learn they had accepted my submission – the process was fairly easy. Maybe they’ve updated their process? Anyways, if you’re interested please check it out 🙂

Are you distributing that music to streaming services through CD Baby? If so, go into your CD Baby dashboard and make sure it’s been sent to Pandora Premium. If not, let us know and we can send your music there and make sure your music is fully licensed on the platform (which should enable those things you’re talking about).

That’s a bummer. Just to be clear, you submitted different music each time, right? I’d say just keep trying. Any time you put something new out, send it to them. I’ve heard stories of them accepting things by artists who’d previously been rejected many times, and also stories of people who always have their music accepted suddenly having a new album or single rejected. So keep at it.

First, I would NOT recommend resubmitting the same material. Just way until your next single, EP, or album to submit again.

Second, they wouldn’t (as far as I understand their system) have rejected you based on a sales or performance rating on another platform. I think their curators are really just looking at two things: the quality of the music (subjective, of course) and how it fits in their catalog. Like, you might release amazing indie rock with jangly guitars, but they could’ve already accepted 100 songs in that genre this week and just don’t need more music in that realm.

I know it sucks to get a rejection, but I think it’s worth continuing to submit down the line. I’ve heard stories from artists who try and try and finally get accepted, and also from artists who always get accepted and then one day get a rejection.

I found Pandora to have an elitist snobbish attitude towards my music. I have directly submitted, and through a distributor. I agree with the one guy that said those educated idiots wouldn’t know a good song if it hit em in the face.